SUNSHINE [Frank Castle]

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - THE SNAKE

Frank's old friend from the military, Billy Russo, knew that Frank was alive. He'd been calling Frank over the radio waves, calling him by his code name. He heard it in passing— Lieberman had left one of his gadgets on— and stopped dead.

So the three of them stood around the radio, listening to Billy Russo, all drinking from a bottle of their alcohol of choice.

"What do we do about this?" Lieberman asked.

"Who would have told him? How would he know?" Charlotte asked. "Your other friend? Curtis?"

"No." Frank shook his head. "No, Curt wouldn't do that."

"If Russo knows, who else might also know?" Charlotte said. "He might have told someone."

"I should go meet him. I trust Bill, he won't say anything."

"Well, I don't trust him," she said blatantly. "I don't know him, and neither do you. Not anymore. People change, Frank."

Frank shook his head, still insisting that Billy was good. "No, you don't know him. I do. Bill's good."

"Then let me talk to him." Frank turned toward her fully, clearly taken aback. "If you think he's okay, I'll go. I'll call him, tell him you told me your code name when I was your lawyer and heard him trying to call you. I know when people are lying to me, and I know when someone is a snake. If I think he's okay, then you can go."

He wanted to argue, wanted to fight her on it. But instead he nodded, relenting. "Okay."

"Then I guess it's time to call Billy Russo."

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He met her out by the waterfront. He was dressed in a smart suit and coat, his dark hair slicked back. She had to admit it, he was strikingly handsome.

She let her lips pull up into her lazy smirk as she approached him, her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. It was bitterly cold by the water, but she barely felt it. All of her attention was on him. Billy Russo.

"Mr. Russo."

"Ms. Romanoff." He smirked back at her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I told you on the phone. You were trying to call Frank Castle, which should prove to be difficult, as Frank Castle is dead."

"Is he?" A single slightly raised brow accompanied that.

"I'm afraid so."

"How can you be sure?"

"I put his body in the ground myself. I think that should grant me some credibility." The lies rolled off of her tongue easily, her expression never wavering.

"Oh, of course." His voice was so smooth, almost a purr. "And yet, I don't think that Frank is dead."

"Why does this matter so much to you? Were you and Frank close when you were in the marines together?" She made herself sound stupid, clueless. Just so he'd underestimate her.